in use; 20S it was objected to on the ground of its 

 having too much rigidity. I argued that the boiler 

 was the foundation to build to; that the springs would 

 give all required elasticity. 



After considerable delay the iron frame was ap- 

 proved of; then arose another difficulty — the diameter 

 of the journals of the driving axle would be the same 

 as that of the axle, the face of the hubs of the driving 

 wheels coming in contact with the brass boxes, would 

 draw the oil from the journal and dissipate it by its 

 centrifugal force, and, consequently, the journals 

 could not be kept from cutting. Various plans were 

 suggested to remedy this imaginary difficulty, one of 

 which was a single collar central to the box, the in- 

 creased diameter of which would draw the oil towards 

 it; it was not adopted, though Brandt, at that time, 

 was experimenting with it for car axles. 



Believing that admitting of inside journals for the 

 drivers carried with it the journals for the truck axles, 

 which brought the truck frame sw directly under the 

 engine frame, accordingly I made the drawings: a 

 wooden truck frame plated with iron; cast-iron pedes- 

 tals to carry the axle boxes; a pair of long vibratory 

 springs over the frame, the ends of the springs resting 

 on the axle-box pins. On the center of these springs 

 were rollers as side bearings for the truck between 

 the springs and the iron engine frame. This was 

 objected to, and outside bearings for the truck axles 

 insisted on. As there was no outside wooden frame to 

 place the truck springs over, as in the Baldwin engine, 

 a wooden outside truck frame, with cast-iron ped- 

 estals with a separate spring to each journal was 

 adopted. These journals being outside the wheels, 

 they did not come under the frame of the engine. 

 Being satisfied the engine would run more steadily 

 if the front weight was carried on the center of the 

 truck instead of by side bearings on its frames, without 

 consulting the commissioners, we adopted a wrought- 

 iron cradle with a center socket in which rested a 

 steel-faced wrought-iron center pin. As this was the 

 first center-carrying truck ever constructed, I shall, 

 further along, 210 relate the trick we were compelled 

 to resort to, to gain for it even a trial. 



208 A wrought-iron-framc locomotive, built by West Point 

 Foundry Association for the Tuscumbia, Courtland, and De- 

 catur Rail Road was mentioned in the Mechanics' Magazine and 

 Register of Inventions and Improvements (New York, January 24, 

 1835), vol. 5, p. 4. Mr. John White, of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, has told me that this was undoubtedly the Comet, the last 

 locomotive built by West Point. 



209 This refers to the frame of the 4-wheel pilot truck. 



Before undertaking to build these engines we had a 

 verbal agreement with Moses Starr, 211 the then only 

 boiler maker in Philadelphia prepared for that kind 

 of work, but by the time the drawings were taken to 

 him, he had contracted to furnish boilers to Baldwin 

 to the full capacity of his shops for some months. 

 Accompanied by Mr. Brandt, I went to New York, 

 and there contracted for two boilers, and even for 

 these the work was divided; the boiler maker not 

 being prepared to bore the flue sheets after turning 

 the flanges; they were bored at the West Point shops. 



On this trip Mr. Brandt proposed going to Albany 

 to see the locomotive on the Mohawk & Hudson 

 Railroad. When there, we rode on an English four- 

 wheel engine, with full crank axle, wheels about four 

 feet diameter, connected drivers by cranks and rods 

 outside the frame. We also saw in the shops an 

 engine with inclined cylinders placed on the foot- 

 board, four wheels, inside cranks and outside con- 

 nected. This was shown us as the first successful 

 locomotive run in the State of New York, 212 and was 

 built at the West Point works. We also rode on 

 another engine, built a year or two later at the same 

 works. This was shown as the first four-wheel 

 pivoted truck engine, designed by John B. Jervis, 

 the chief engineer of the road; it had one pair of 

 driving wheels back of the fire-box. The cylinders 

 were outside of the smoke-box, to give room for the 

 full cranks and connecting rods; the fire-box was 

 narrowed and lengthened. With the exception of 

 the half cranks and dome boiler, this was the type 

 of the engines then building by Baldwin. We also 

 rode on a truck engine built in England from Amer- 

 ican drawings. 



I expected to have found in New York round iron 

 that would finish for 6-inch diameter driving axles; 

 also flat iron for the frames, but neither were then 

 kept on hand. We got the frame iron drawn at one 

 of the Pennsylvania charcoal forges, and finished in 

 our own shops. The axles we piled, of charcoal 

 iron, taking the heats in a hollow-fire on an open 

 hearth, and forged under an old-fashioned trip 

 hammer of about 200 lbs. weight. The flange tires 



210 Chapter 24, below. 



211 In the 1835-1836 Philadelphia directory Moses Starr was 

 listed as blacksmith; in the 1840 directory the listing was Moses 

 Starr & Son, steam engine and boiler makers. His shop was in 

 Frankford, on Shackamaxon below the Frankford Road. See 

 figure 68. 



212 The De Witt Clinton, built in 1831 for the Mohawk and 

 Hudson Railroad. 



164 



